Another Life
by sunsetsoverwater
Summary: Ten years have passed since Audrey walked into the Barn and things didn't go quite as planned on that fateful day. Now she finds herself facing the unexpected return of the Troubles, with the stakes even higher than before. A.U. Nathan/Audrey
1. Intro

**Disclaimer: **Totally don't own these characters, or this world. I just like to be a part of it.

**Author's Notes: **We're starting out short on this one, but I have a whole story planned out, and will be doing weekly updates on it.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One - Intro<strong>

"Audrey! Audrey! Are you still there? Audrey…I don't know what to say."

She could barely hear Duke's frantic voice coming from her phone, now lying under the bed - its final resting place after being dropped from her stunned fingers. Her whole world had gone numb. She knew this day would eventually come, but had always hoped it never would. She had always assumed when/if it came, she and Nathan would just pick up where they had left off all those years ago, and once again figure things out. Even though it was a constant dread in the far corners of her mind, she always knew it would eventually be ok. Never in a million years did she think that this was how she'd find out. But, it was, and she needed to pull herself together and fix it. Just like she always did.

The Troubles were back.

And her daughter was currently fighting for her life in the hospital.


	2. Thanks for the Memories

**Disclaimer:** Totally don't own these characters, or this world. I just like to be a part of it.

**Author's Notes:** This chapter starts right at that pivotal scene from "Thanks for the Memories". Then, it goes completely A/U from there.

Thanks as always to my beta. If it weren't for her, this would make way less sense than it does now.

Also, I'm going to stick to a Tuesday posting schedule for new chapters, but if my beta gets in a chapter early, I'll post it early. Like this one.

* * *

><p><span>10 years ago on that fateful day at the Barn<span>

Audrey turned from Duke and silently blew out a breath. There was still one more goodbye to give - the most difficult goodbye. She began walking towards Nathan, who started moving to meet her halfway, already shaking his head.

"_Parker, if we…"_

She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him with everything she had before he could get another word out. She wrapped her arms around his neck to draw him close, and could feel him hugging her even closer. Even though the last thing she ever wanted to do was stop, she knew she had to pull away. Not quite able to let go though, Audrey rested her forehead against Nathan's, and slowly sunk down off her toes.

She felt as though her heart was shattering into a million pieces as she could not only see, but feel Nathan shaking his head.

"_No. This is not goodbye."_

Even before he moved his head, Audrey knew he was going to try something, and was already trying to pull him back before he even moved towards Agent Howard.

"_Take me with you."_

"_No, Nathan, Nathan, I won't be alone, alright? I'll be with our son."_

Nathan cradled her head in his hands, _"I am going to die before I let you go."_

Audrey could feel the tears stinging her eyes, but she couldn't let them fall. She couldn't shatter here. Not in front of him. She had to be strong. She had to be brave. But it was too much. She couldn't do it. The tears started to fall, and she knew her voice was going to shake. _"I know."_ She looked into his soul, and could see his heart breaking right along with hers. In perfect sync. She knew it would kill him, but she had to do it. Grabbing Nathan's gun, she spun around, out of his embrace and reached towards Duke, handing him the gun. _"Duke."_

Nathan's eyes widened in shock at what was happening._ "Audrey!"_

She could hear his heart breaking in his voice. She had betrayed him, and his shock was palpable, but she had to resist the urge to comfort him in that moment so she could explain._ "Make sure Nathan does not follow me in. Promise me."_ Audrey stumbled towards Duke as she held Nathan at bay. She knew that if he tried any harder, she would break.

"_Audrey, don't do this!" _

She could hear the utter betrayal and destruction in his voice. She could do this for him. She had to. _"Promise me that Duke!"_

"_I promise Audrey."_

Audrey could barely keep Nathan back. She was starting to lose the battle.

"_Audrey, don't do this!" _

Audrey walked away, knowing that Duke would hold Nathan back, and turned back towards him.

"_Twenty seven years Nathan. Then we'll get to do it all over again."_ All Audrey could see was her destruction mirrored in Nathan's eyes. _"Goodbye."_

Nathan began to struggle with Duke. _"We're not letting her go in there."_

Duke had no choice but to raise the gun in Nathan's face. _"Yes, we are."_

Nathan stepped back, and for a brief moment, Audrey thought that maybe he finally understood. Maybe he was finally going to let her go. But then, he charged at Duke again, who did his best to reason with his friend, despite his own pain.

"_Listen! She is trying to help all these people. She is trying to help this town and it is her choice. It's not yours. It's not mine. I hate it. But it's still her choice."_

Nathan could only look into his friend's eyes. Deep down he understood, and perhaps that's why the fight left him, which gave him sudden clarity. _"You're in love with her too."_

Tears brimmed at Duke's eyes as he was forced to admit to his one true friend what he was really feeling. Something he had vowed to never let him know. _"Yeah."_

Even though Nathan knew what Duke's response would be, it still incensed him, and his rage quickly returned. _"Then how can you let her go? Look at her. Look at her!"_

Duke slowly turned his head towards Audrey, and at that moment, Audrey was standing at the Barn door, and turned to look back at her boys. This was the last time she would ever see them as Audrey Parker. She wanted this moment to last forever.

But the moment was suddenly broken as Nathan overtook Duke for the gun, and she quickly opened the Barn door, slipping in as she heard Nathan shout.

"_Audrey, stop!"_

The door shut behind Audrey and she shut her eyes in anticipation of...whatever was supposed to happen.

She could hear thunderous bangs on the wall behind her. She took a step back and raised her hand to her mouth as tears streamed down her cheeks. She knew it was Nathan, and could tell by the sheer force of the bangs that he was throwing his body against the door. How it was staying closed, she would never know. Was she keeping it closed? Could she open it for him? No, he wasn't supposed to be here. He was supposed to live his life in Haven. Not inside a Barn, where who knows what would happen to him.

And then, everything went silent.

Her mind was reeling, and hundreds of thoughts and questions were racing through her mind. What was going to happen?

Would she experience 27 years in the Barn and remember it all?

What happened after 27 years?

Did someone come and do something to her? Or was it just kind of like sudden onset amnesia?

How did she get out of the Barn to wherever she starts from?

Was it going to hurt?

_Nathan._

Tears rolled down her face as she hugged herself, and all she could think was, it wasn't fair. She hadn't done anything wrong. All she had done was come to a strange little town in Maine to help people, and she had fallen in love. Why was that a crime? What had she done to deserve this? Agent Howard had said it seemed like she was being punished for something. What was it? And why did she have to be punished? She didn't do whatever it was to be punished. One of her other personas had done that, and there was nothing that Audrey Parker could have done to have stopped it.

Audrey sunk down to the floor and buried her head in her knees. She felt like a small child, thinking that life isn't fair, which was ridiculous. She should be strong. But, if there was any time to be ridiculous, this was it.

Why couldn't she have figured it out? Why had it been so hard? Why did she have to fight so hard for everything? Even if most of her memories weren't her own, they were still there, and they were a constant fight. A fight to survive the orphanage, a fight to get into the agency, a fight to be respected. Always a fight.

The haunting lyrics to a song Audrey once heard broke into her thoughts.

_When you have no one, no one can hurt you._

But she had someone. Someone she had tried to push away so that neither could be hurt when she left, but they had ended up back together anyway. It had almost felt like nothing could tear them apart. Nothing but a crappy destiny.

With her eyes closed, she thought back to the dance they had shared just a few days ago. It seemed like a lifetime ago. She could hear the Boyz II Men song playing, and could feel Nathan's warmth against her body as they moved to the song. The feeling of overwhelming safety that had enveloped her. Their lips had been so close to each other, but had never touched. Instead, they had been content to slowly sway to the music, oblivious to those dancing around them. To her, the only people in that room had been him and her. And as always, they were in sync. Her thoughts had been a blur between what could be between them, and who the killer was in the room. And, because she was hopeless, thoughts about the killer quickly beat out thoughts of a future with Nathan.

She silently cursed her need to solve the case they had been working on so quickly. But she was there to help people, dammit. So why couldn't anyone help her?

Her heart literally felt like it had shattered. Nothing in her life had prepared her for having to say goodbye forever to the people she cared about - the people she loved. She pressed her fingers to her lips, which still tingled from Nathan's touch. Why had she not told him she loved him? Why had she not taken him out for dinner? Why had she wasted even the briefest of her emotions with Duke? It was never going to be Duke. It was always going to be Nathan. But now, it wouldn't even be Nathan.

Will she remember him when she comes back? No, there's no way. She didn't remember the Chief, when Lucy clearly had spent a lot of time with him. She didn't remember Vince and Dave, when they were everything to Sarah. Sarah had loved Nathan though. Was that why as Audrey she was immediately drawn to him? Because she remembered him in some way? Maybe it would be different with Nathan. But would she want to remember him? He'd have lived a whole lifetime by the time she gets back, and she would only be forced to leave him again, and there's no way her heart could ever handle this break again.

Her thoughts were driving her mad, and she felt as though barely any time had passed. What was going on? Is this what it was going to be for 27 years? Her sitting on the floor of an empty building with only her memories haunting her, slowly driving her insane? Maybe that's why she always woke up not remembering. Her mind had snapped each time, not being able to cope with the hurt. Maybe it was some kind of defense mechanism.

How was she going to survive this?

And why was she alone in this barely lit, empty room? Where had the long white tunnels gone? At least those, while almost clinical in nature, had seemed warmer than this. This was just a dusty floor in a room that she was now realizing was so big she couldn't even see the outer walls. Not even the room she had to have just entered from. The only light in the area seemed to be coming from somewhere overhead, but when she looked up to see its source, everything seemed to just fade into itself with no real definition.

Where had James gone?

Audrey pushed herself up off the ground and started moving away from the only spot that seemed safe in the room. Of course it wasn't safe, but it was familiar, the only place she'd been in this new location, so by default, that made it safer than the rest of room.

"James?"

Her voice both echoed off the walls, and also fell flat.

"James!"

Audrey kept walking, and the light above her seemed to follow her, but no matter how many times she looked to see where it was coming from, she was only met with colors fading into each other. Sometimes she could make out dust particles floating through the beams of light, but those could have been a figment of her imagination. Much, if not everything she was seeing (or not seeing as the case may be), could be a figment of her imagination.

She stopped walking, and let out a deep sigh. She dropped her head back and shouted to whatever was above. "Why are you doing this to me? Why are you keeping the only other person in here away from me? Have you that little pity?" Maybe she would end up spending the next 27 years walking, always looking for James, but never finding him. She sighed, and dropped to the floor again. Walking was getting her nowhere, so she might as well abandon that for the moment.

As she touched ground, a loud knocking boomed through the empty room, cascading off of hollow walls, shaking her to her core. "What the hell?"

"Audrey!"

Audrey leapt to her feet at the sound of her name, flipping her head from side to side trying to figure out where it was coming from.

"Audrey! Are you in there? Audrey!"

The pounding on the walls intensified, and Audrey laid her palms against the wall that was now visible and solid, and squinted her eyes. She knew her voice was going to come out shaky and watery, but she didn't care. She knew that voice.

"Duke?"


	3. Numb

**Disclaimer:** Totally don't own these characters, or this world. I just like to be a part of it.

**Author's Notes:** Heads up - we're shifting back to where the Intro left off. There is going to be definite shifting between the future (where this story ultimately takes place) and the now. I'll call it out each chapter in the A/N, but please let me know in the comments if you think there's a better way for me to do it.

Thanks as always to my beta. If it weren't for her, this would make way less sense than it does now.

Also, I'm going to stick to a Tuesday posting schedule for new chapters, but if my beta gets in a chapter early, I'll post it early. Like this one.

**Numb**

Audrey was dimly aware of the chaos happening around her, but inside she was weirdly calm. She knew she should probably be falling apart, but she was so numb that she couldn't even bring herself to crumble. It was probably for the best that Nathan was at a conference in Portland, and wouldn't get back for some time, because she was pretty sure that seeing him is what would cause her to break.

After her initial shock, she had managed to pick up the phone and have a semi-coherent conversation with Duke, convincing him that she could drive. She moved on auto-pilot as she worked her way around the house, packing a couple of bags of clothes for herself and Nathan, because she knew it would be awhile before either one of them would leave the hospital again.

The clothes she had on would have to do – as far as she could remember, the jeans had been washed fairly recently, and after pulling on a long sleeved shirt over her tank top and pulling her hair back in a ponytail, she figured she would be ok for at least 48 hours before having to change.

She called Peanut over after packing his bag, and clipped on his leash. "Come on Peanut. You're going to stay next door for a little while." The little miniature schnauzer wagged his tail so vigorously his whole body shook. At least someone was having a good day.

Audrey gathered up the bags for herself and Nathan, grabbed her purse and keys, did a final check of the house to make sure it could last for a while without being checked on, and closed the door behind her. She descended the couple of stairs from the porch to the gravel sidewalk, and crunched her way to the car parked in the driveway. She had to tug Peanut a few times, because he was just excited to be outside, but she managed to toss the bags in the trunk, and turned back to the little dog. She crouched down to Peanut's level, and rubbed his head as he stood up on her knee. "Ok Peanut, you be a good boy, ok? I'll come get you as soon as I can. Mrs. Fleming is going to take good care of you."

Peanut wagged his tail as a response, and dropped back to the ground, spinning in a couple of circles in excitement.

"Come on Peanut."

Audrey, tugged on the lease, and her dog trotted happily beside her, quickening his pace as he saw they were going next door. Thank god for Mrs. Fleming, Audrey thought. They were so lucky to have a neighbor like her who was willing to open her house on short notice for Peanut. She knew that Audrey and Nathan had demanding jobs that could sometimes keep them away for days, and had always volunteered to watch Peanut, saying that the little dog was fantastic company.

Audrey knocked on the bright red door, which she had heard meant "welcome" and had instantly stolen the idea and made Nathan paint their door the exact same color.

A plump older woman opened the door and broke out into a wide grin as she saw Audrey, and immediately squatted down to pet the little dog dancing at her feet. "Peanut! Oh, there's my good boy. Are you here to visit for a while?" Mrs. Fleming picked Peanut up in her arms, and stood up.

Audrey noticed that even now, Mrs. Fleming was a good four inches shorter than herself, which was saying something, because she definitely wasn't of average height, no matter how imposing she always tried to make herself. "Sorry for the late notice Mrs. Fleming. There's been an…accident. I'm not too sure when Nathan and I will be back." Audrey couldn't bring herself to say exactly what the accident was, because she knew that once she vocalized it, it would become real, and that real feeling would come crashing through her numbness, and she needed Nathan to be around when that happened.

Mrs. Fleming patted Audrey's arm. "Oh dear. I'm so sorry. You go and take care of what you need to, and Peanut will be safe here with me. We'll do some baking together. Won't we Peanut?" Mrs. Fleming rubbed noses with Peanut, and a faint smile crossed Audrey's lips.

"Thank you so much again Mrs. Fleming. You can call me if you need anything."

"Don't you worry dear. I'll be fine. You go. Fix it. If anyone can, it's you."

Tears started to well up in Audrey's eyes, and she had to look away, biting her bottom lip to stop the tears from falling. She turned back, and tried to smile to keep up the façade for the moment that things were just the usual. "I'll call when I can."

On that, Audrey gave Peanut's head a final rub, turned on her heels, and shuffled towards the car. As she pulled herself into the driver's seat, she checked her phone before putting it in the cup holder beside her and noticed that she had several text messages from Nathan. She didn't even read them before throwing the car in reverse to back out into the street. She knew if she did, she would start to break.

As she drove through the streets of Haven, she silently prayed to a god she didn't even believe in. She felt like if there was any time to pray, this was it.

Much too soon, and yet, not soon enough, the giant yellow hospital rose into her view, and she turned into the ER parking lot. One good thing about a small town, and being a cop in a small town, is that everyone knew her car, and so no one would dare tow her, regardless of where she parked. She left the spot for emergency personnel open, because she knew that the old blue Bronco would be slamming into that very spot, very soon, and instead turned into a spot reserved for hospital employees.

Audrey got out of the car, and blew out a breath as she walked towards the emergency room doors. Once she crossed the threshold, she knew that she would be assaulted with sights, sounds, feelings, and decisions, and she had to steady herself.

"Here we go," she muttered to herself.

And she was right. The moment the doors whooshed open in front of her, it began.

"Mrs. Wournos!"

"Detective Parker!"

"Audrey."

Audrey looked from the nurse at the front desk, to the uniformed officer leaning against the wall who was now at full attention, and settled on Duke.

"Duke."

Duke rushed up to her and pulled her into his arms. She could feel her resolve starting to crumble, and could feel tears running down her cheeks. "Take me to her."

Duke didn't want to let go – he could feel her body starting to shake, but he knew now that she was here, he needed to just do as she asked. He needed to be there for her, however she needed. Especially since her other half was still barreling down the highway to get here.

"She's down here."

Audrey was vaguely aware of the desk nurse trying to stop them. She surely needed Audrey's signature on something, or needed valuable information. She didn't seem familiar, so Audrey was sure that the nurse didn't really know who Audrey was, and therefore didn't fully know who the patient was. The uniformed officer however held her back, and Audrey could faintly hear their arguments as Duke led her down the hallway.

Her heart was thumping so loud, all she could hear was her own blood rushing between her ears. She wanted to be there already and never get there all at the same time. A parent's worst nightmare is always living longer than their child, and Audrey was terrified that she would be soon living that nightmare. She had already lost one child she would barely know. She couldn't survive losing one she had known for only 6 short years.

As they stopped in front of the glass doors to the ICU room, she felt her heart stop. Her hand flew to her mouth to stop the strangled gasp from escaping her lips, as she gripped Duke's hand so hard that Duke would later need to have it checked for deep bruising. She ran to her daughter's bed, and ghosted her hand over her forehead, and up and down the small girl's body. Her eyes danced around to see where the injuries were, but couldn't see anything other than Juliet's face - her impossibly pale face. Audrey's throat burned as she saw the breathing tube coming out of her baby girl's mouth, and she brushed the blond curls away from her closed eyes. She collapsed into a chair that was suddenly behind her, keeping her one hand on Juliet's forehead, while the other held tight to the little girl's hand. "Duke," she whispered. "What happened?"

Duke stood at the end of the bed, his fingers clutching at Juliet's feet that were hidden beneath the blankets. His face looked as white as Juliet's, and if it weren't her daughter lying unconscious in that hospital bed, Audrey would be deathly worried about her friend. "It all happened so fast. We were out fishing, just like always. She was doing great." A small smile ghosted along Duke's lips, but it never reached his eyes. "She was taking a break, and was sitting on one of the tackle boxes and was telling me a joke. I guess she forgot where she was, and leaned back and lost her balance and fell into the water."

"Duke, she's a great swimmer. You've had her in the water since pretty much the moment she came out of me. I know she didn't almost drown, so what happened?"

Duke's eyes flicked to Juliet's neck, which was covered with the blanket. Audrey took his cue, pulled the blanket down, and could see the large bandage covering half of the little girl's neck. She felt sick.

"She was holding her fishing pole when she went in. The lure must have swung out and snagged her neck, and as she hit the water, it was pulled out. It went right through her artery. She didn't feel it, Audrey. I had my eyes on her as soon as she hit the water, and she popped right up and started treading water, grinning at me like she always does. It took me a few moments to realize the water was red around her. I dove in right as she lost consciousness. I did all I could. She didn't feel it." His voice was edging on panic as he finished.

Audrey couldn't decide what she was feeling in that moment. Intense anger that Duke could let something like this happen to Juliet? Intense relief that of all people, it had been Duke she was with when this happened? Intense exhaustion as the weight of the situation descended upon her? She laid her head down on the bed beside Juliet's arm, trying to calm the swirling storm inside her head. She could feel Duke walk by her and out the door. He always did know when she just needed to think. And the one thought, the one emotion that was breaking through everything was one she didn't want to deal with. But it was there all the same. Since Juliet couldn't feel the lure tearing through her flesh, that meant she shared Nathan's affliction. And if she was suddenly sharing that affliction, that meant that something had gone horribly wrong somewhere, and the Troubles were now, in fact, back. Which meant that her whole life was suddenly going to get a whole lot more complicated than it was now, and she wasn't really sure there was anything more complicated than sitting in an ICU unit with your six year old child, who was clinging to life.

"Where is she?!"

Nathan's voice broke through her reverie, and she lifted her head to look behind her to the hospital hallway. "Nathan!" She yelled out to him as she saw his lanky body rush past the door to the room.

Nathan skidded to a stop, and looked in at his two girls. He masked his shock by rubbing a hand down his face, but Audrey saw it. She always saw it. "Parker…what happened?" Nathan stood beside the chair Audrey was in and ghosted his hands up and down his little girl's body, very similar to what Audrey had done, and tenderly touched the bandage on Juliet's neck before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Audrey sighed, and gripped Nathan's hand that was closest to her. "She can't feel it Nathan."

Nathan straightened up, and pulled Audrey into his arms, holding her tight. He buried his face in her hair and spoke, his words coming out as a whisper. "I know. I can't feel anything either."

And that was it. Her resolve was broken, and sobs rattled through Audrey's body. Her tears soaked through Nathan's shirt, and it was only his arms that kept her upright. He brushed her hair and he held her close, trying to push what little strength he had into her. He pressed his lips to the top of her head, but he knew exactly what his wife was thinking. The Troubles were definitely back, and their first victim was his little girl.


	4. The Barn

**Disclaimer:** Totally don't own these characters, or this world. I just like to be a part of it.

**Author's Notes:** Heads up - we're shifting back to that scene at the Barn.

There is going to be definite shifting between the future (where this story ultimately takes place) and the now. I'll call it out each chapter in the A/N, but please let me know in the comments if you think there's a better way for me to do it.

Thanks as always to my beta, who is more than willing to read SEVERAL versions of this to make sure it's right.

Here's the promised Tuesday update!

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Barn<strong>

All hell was breaking loose, and the weather only added to it. What had only moments before been an extremely windy day, had turned into a monsoon. Sheets of rain made Duke feel like he was drowning. He could barely think. People were screaming and shouting, and he wanted to say he heard another few cracks from a gun, but he wasn't sure. He had just gunned down Jordan. She had shot as soon as Nathan had raised his gun at Howard, and Nathan fell to the ground before making good on his intensions to shoot. On some level, he felt as though the rain was Audrey crying, because it had started the moment the bullet ripped through Nathan's chest. Duke knew that he had to help Nathan, no matter what, because not only was Nathan his friend, but Audrey would never forgive him if anything happened to Nathan when Duke was around. The enormity of the unasked request weighed heavily on his shoulders, but Duke knew he would shoulder that burden no matter the cost to himself.

Duke ran to his friend, and slid on his knees in the damp grass to Nathan's side. "Someone call an ambulance! Someone get help! Officer down! Help!"

Nerves flared to life within Duke because he wasn't sure if touching Nathan's blood would trigger his own Trouble. But, Audrey had gone into the Barn, and that should mean the Troubles are gone, right? But what if they aren't?

Nathan's shirt was quickly becoming a deep crimson color, even with the torrential rain, so Duke knew he had to do something. If he didn't, Nathan was going to bleed out right in front of him. And he would never forgive himself if that happened. Not to mention, Audrey would be pissed.

Duke took a deep breath, and pressed down on Nathan's wounds, quickly feeling the euphoric high of Trouble blood coursing through his body. _Dammit. _He forced himself to focus, but couldn't get a grip through that incessant driving rain, and because Nathan wouldn't stop squirming. The Troubles were definitely still around, because there's no way that Nathan would be able to move after sustaining that much damage if he could feel. What was going on? Audrey going into the Barn hadn't done anything for them. Was it a delayed response kind of thing? Did it take a while for the Troubles to go away? Duke had always assumed that they would just disappear quickly, like a snap of the fingers, but maybe it was something more? It did seem as though the Troubles kind of progressively started – one would appear, and then another, and then a few more. Maybe them disappearing would be similar. One would stop, and then another, and then a few more. His obviously hadn't stopped, and neither had Nathan's. Were the two of them cursed to be the last two standing with Troubles? Duke blew out a silent breath. At least if Nathan's Trouble was still activated, he wouldn't go into shock. That was something to be grateful for.

"Audrey! Audrey! Duke, we have to get her!" Nathan shoved as hard against Duke as his body would allow, but he could sense it failing. He couldn't fail Audrey though. He had to try. He hadn't tried enough when she was here. He was stupid and let her push him away, and he had run right into the arms of Jordan. He made himself believe that he was only doing it to find a way to protect Audrey, but deep down he knew better. He was doing it to punish her, because she had been punishing him, and he wanted her to see the pain she was causing him. What a childish, and near-sighted thing to do. He should have been fighting for her. Fighting as he is now. But now he's injured, and she's gone, and there's nothing he can do.

"Nathan, she's gone. She's gone! You have to calm down. You're not in good shape, and you're only going to make it worse." Duke directed all his attention to Nathan, trying valiantly to hold his friend still so that he didn't do any more damage to his already broken body.

Nathan tried to sit up and shoved Duke's hands away. "I don't care! She's gone, why should I care?"

Duke shoved his friend back into the ground, wincing as he realized that at least one of the bullets had gone clean through, and being pushed into the muddy ground would not be good. How could Nathan be so stupid to level a gun at Agent Howard? Did he not realize they were surrounded by members of the Guard? All of whom were carrying weapons, and not all of them were 100% sane? Where had Agent Howard gone, anyway? He must have slipped away in the commotion. Had he gone in the Barn after Audrey? Was he holding her in there?

Moments seemed to be stretching into hours, and the only thing changing seemed to be the growing pool of Nathan's blood around his hands, and if it was even possible, more water falling from the sky. "Where the hell is the ambulance? Isn't anyone going to do anything?" Duke tried to look around as he held Nathan down, but the rain was so thick, all he could do was squint. He could make out a couple members of the Guard picking up what had to be Jordan, and others high tailing it out of there, leaving Duke alone with Nathan. He turned to look at Nathan when he realized he was suddenly having an easier time holding him down, and could see that Nathan was starting to fade in and out of consciousness.

"Oh no you don't buddy, you're not getting out of this that easily. Stay with me." Duke noticed that his hands were covered in Nathan's blood. So much blood. He felt bile rise in this throat. He couldn't lose Nathan today. He had already lost Audrey. He couldn't lose his only two friends within minutes of each other. He wouldn't survive it. Troubled or not.

Duke startled slightly when a large body dropped down next to him. "Sasquatch! Oh, I have never been happier to see you in my life. Help me with Nathan. We need to get him to the hospital, now."

Dwight put his arms under Nathan's shoulders and legs, and effortlessly picked him up. "I've got him Duke, but he looks pretty bad."

Duke looked at Nathan and could see that the man was barely holding onto consciousness. A few more minutes, and he didn't think Nathan would ever wake up. Panic was bubbling inside of him. "Get him out of here! I'm right behind you guys!"

Duke raised his arm over his head, trying to shield his eyes from the driving rain. He was dimly aware that the meteors had stopped, but with how thick this rain was, they could have still been falling, and he wouldn't have been able to see them. Maybe Audrey had done something by going into the Barn. Maybe the Troubles would be stopping one at a time. Maybe her sacrifice hadn't been in vain. Duke's heart twisted at the thought. He couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that his friend had sacrificed her life for a town she had barely known. He would have done anything to keep her there – to make it so she never would have to leave, but her leaving seems to have at least saved the town from destruction by meteor. That was something at least. But definitely not the ending he would have liked.

Some of the Guard members were still shouting, and Duke picked up a stray sentence as he was running through the trees towards the boats after Dwight and Nathan.

"Maybe it always stays there. It's not like we've ever come out here to look for it before."

All intentions of making it to the boat with Dwight and Nathan vanished, and he yelled at Dwight to just take off without him, because he wanted to see what was going on. Duke turned on his heel and started sprinting back towards the clearing. The Barn was still there when he and Dwight had taken off with Nathan, and he just assumed that it disappeared once everyone took off. But what if the Barn was still there? Did something go wrong? He knew for a fact that the Barn disappeared, because it had when the other Audrey was here, and he had found her wandering in the woods.

He burst through the last of the trees, and stumbled back a bit. There, standing in the clearing, was the Barn. It hadn't moved. It was still there. What was wrong? What was happening? If the Barn was still there, was she? What did that mean with the Troubles? Would they never go away? Is that why he and Nathan were still afflicted? Because she was still there? Then how did the meteors stop? Had they? He squinted into the rain, but could barely see anything beyond the Barn.

Duke's mind was reeling, and he couldn't focus. Only one thought came driving through.

Audrey.

He had never run faster in his life.


	5. Uncle Duke

**Disclaimer:** Totally don't own these characters, or this world. I just like to be a part of it.

**Author's Notes:** Heads up – time shift again.

There is going to be definite shifting between the future (where this story ultimately takes place) and the now. I'll call it out each chapter in the A/N, but please let me know in the comments if you think there's a better way for me to do it.

Thanks as always to my beta, who is more than willing to read SEVERAL versions of this to make sure it's right.

Here's the promised Tuesday update!

* * *

><p><span><strong>Uncle Duke<strong>

The last time Duke ran so fast towards something, it had been to save the life of someone he cared about, and this time was no different. He felt like his legs couldn't move fast enough, and every second felt like failure.

He couldn't get the image of Juliet swimming in her own blood out of his mind.

The kid meant everything to him. From the moment Nathan placed the little girl in his arms, he knew right then and there that his fierce protectiveness for her mother would now be fully directed towards the little bundle of pink that was now lying in his arms. Duke definitely did not consider himself a "kid person" by any stretch of the imagination, but his heart had always felt a little broken after losing Jeanne and not being able to ever see her. Even with the Troubles long gone, he didn't want to risk her by visiting, and would only look at the picture of her that Audrey had taken all those years ago.

But this was his second chance. Juliet definitely wasn't his child, which could easily be evidenced by her brilliant blue eyes that could only have come from a combination of Audrey and Nathan's, but he considered her a part of him. And because of that, he would be there for her whenever he could. Whenever Audrey and Nathan had to go out of town on a case, or if one kept them at the station long after normal working hours, he would watch Juliet. At first, when she was a baby, he would watch her at her own house, but as she got older, he would pick her up, and the two of them would spend hours together on his boat.

One of the proudest moments of his life was when he taught her to say Uncle Duke, and his heart lifted a little each time he heard her call his name from that moment on.

As she got older, he started teaching her the most basic of yoga poses, and knew he would have her at the master level by the time she was a teenager. He taught her poker, and was surprised at how adept she was at for such a young girl. He was a little worried when she started winning for real, and not because he was letting her. He felt good knowing that poker was a little secret kept between the two of them. He had warned her not to tell her father, and she seemingly understood the complex relationship that existed between her father and her uncle, so she never said a word, but always looked forward to evenings on the deck of Uncle Duke's boat, with cards spread across the table.

But the thing they loved the most was the water. Neither of her parents were all that excited about being in the water, but Juliet loved it. Every time Duke came over, she begged him to go swimming, so in the summer, they would swim in the ocean, and in the winter, he would take her to the local indoor swimming pool. It seemed as though she could spend every waking minute in the water, and it wouldn't have surprised Duke in the slightest if she ended up living on her own boat as soon as she was old enough to live on her own. So the fact that the water had almost claimed her life, left Duke with a feeling of dread that he didn't think would ever leave him.

Duke sighed and glanced towards Juliet's room, but didn't want to go back in there just yet. He scraped his fingers through his hair, and could feel the slightly damp spots still sticking around. As he brought his hands down back to his lap, he turned them over. As he did, he noticed something that made his stomach flip. Everything had happened so fast that he hadn't had time to just sit and think. As soon as he saw the blood in the water, he had dived in head first, and grabbed Juliet. When his arms wrapped around the little girl, he could feel her go limp, and he had clamped his hand on her neck where he saw the vicious wound. His blood had run cold, and he almost forgot what to do. Basic instinct flooded over him, and he had gotten her on the boat, her frail body cradled in his arms as he called the Coast Guard, and revved the boat faster than he ever had before. He would more than likely have to replace the motor.

He had almost made it to shore when the Coast Guard met up with him, and they quickly transferred her to the medical boat. The anchor on his boat had been dropped with the words, "I'll come back for it later" crossing his lips as his first and only concern was the tiny blonde who was getting more and more pale as the seconds ticked by.

When he heard the words that she was stable, but not out of the woods, he let himself breathe out a tiny breath of relief.

But as he stared at his hand, that tiny breath of relief was once again sucked in. His hand was covered in blood. Juliet's blood. He hadn't noticed it before, but now, all he wanted to do was wash it off. Duke made to jump off his chair, but a thought kept him rooted. Juliet hadn't felt it when the lure had caught in her neck and was subsequently pulled out. The only way that she wouldn't have felt it, is if she was afflicted with Nathan's Trouble. But if she was afflicted, that could only mean one thing. The Troubles were back. Duke turned his head towards Juliet's room, and could hear Audrey's muffled sobs. At that moment, he knew that Audrey had figured this out as well.

Duke looked back at his hand that was soaked in blood. So much blood. But, if the Troubles were back, then why hadn't his been activated? The Troubles returned during an emotional event, and if this wasn't an emotional event for him, he didn't know what else could qualify. Would their return be similar to their departure? It had taken months for his Trouble to go away. Was it going to take months for his Trouble to return? Would it at all?


	6. Another Chance

**Disclaimer:** Totally don't own these characters, or this world. I just like to be a part of it.

**Author's Notes:** Heads up – time shift again.

There is going to be definite shifting between the future (where this story ultimately takes place) and the now. I'll call it out each chapter in the A/N, but please let me know in the comments if you think there's a better way for me to do it.

Thanks as always to my beta, who is more than willing to read SEVERAL versions of this to make sure it's right.

Here's the promised Tuesday update!

* * *

><p><span><strong>Another Chance<strong>

Dwight wanted to wait for Duke, but he was right. There was no way he could wait any longer without risking Nathan. Dwight had already called ahead, and an ambulance was waiting for them at the docks, so he left as fast as he could.

The boat ride seemed endless, but it gave Dwight time to bind Nathan's wounds enough that he would survive until he made it to the ambulance. But it also gave him time to think, and worry. While Nathan was definitely in shock, he should be feeling some pain, and he wasn't. It was obvious, if he wasn't feeling anything, it meant that the Troubles were still around. The bullets lodged in Dwight's safety vest was testament enough to that.

What would that mean for the town though? The Guard were already on edge, and this was just going to put them over that edge. There were going to be riots. There were going to be fights. There were going to be deaths. Dwight looked over at Nathan lying on the floor and could only think that Nathan was probably going to be public enemy number one. Not because he did anything wrong, but because he was the next closest thing to Audrey. And Audrey had somehow failed.

But how did this happen? He had seen her go into the Barn with his own eyes. Isn't that all she had to do? Just go in and everything would go back to normal? The meteors appeared to have stopped, so why weren't the Troubles gone? Looking at Nathan, Dwight had to admit that in this exact moment, Nathan being Troubled was the best thing that could happen to him. If he could feel, he would not be ok.

Flashing lights pulled Dwight's eyes to the shoreline, and he could see the ambulance ready and waiting for them. He looked down at his friend, and willed him to be ok. Nathan's face was white as a sheet, and Dwight knew that Audrey would kill him if he let Nathan die.

While the boat was docking, he was already getting off the boat with Nathan in his arms, and put him down on the gurney that the EMTs had wheeled down to them. Two of them immediately started working on Nathan as a third valiantly tried to hold a sheet over them to keep the rain to a minimum. They ran towards the ambulance and climbed in, Dwight pulling the door shut behind him as he settled into the chaos of the small space. They were already moving, and as Nathan was hooked up to an IV, and his shirt was ripped off his body, Dwight could have sworn he saw Nathan grimace as the first EMT started working on one of the gunshot wounds.

* * *

><p>"Audrey!"<p>

Audrey leapt to her feet at the sound of her name, flipping her head from side to side trying to figure out where it was coming from.

"Audrey! Are you in there? Audrey!"

The pounding on the walls intensified, and Audrey laid her palms against the wall that was now visible and solid, and squinted her eyes.

"Duke?"

The knocking kept getting louder, and Audrey's heart was pounding just as loud. "Duke? Duke! Is that you? Duke!"

What was going on? Was that really Duke out there? Or was this just another memory/projection of the Barn that was designed to drive her insane?

Audrey stepped back from the door, reluctant to get her hopes up. As soon as she had heard his voice, her heart had leapt into her throat. Why would Duke be yelling outside the door? He wouldn't. As soon as she had stepped into the Barn, it should have disappeared. There should be no way for Duke to be standing there calling for her. So, this couldn't be real. She was a smart woman – a cop for cripes sake. Logically, there was no way for this to be happening, so it had to have been something the Barn was conjuring up. One more thing to drive her insane. One more thing she could look forward to over the next 27 years – voices from her loved ones calling out desperately to her.

She sighed, and turned away from the wall, holding her hands up to her ears to try to block out the cries of her name. Why won't it just stop? Why can't he just go away? Why is the Barn torturing her like this? She walked away from the wall, trying to think of something, anything that would block out Duke's voice. She couldn't be sucked into the realness of the situation. This wasn't real. It couldn't be. If it was, then something was wrong. Something was really wrong. And she had screwed up. Again. Was she really going to have to fight to leave Haven now? Is that what this was coming down to?

And if this was real, why was Duke yelling for her? Why wasn't it Nathan? Something was wrong. She could sense it, and felt like she had been punched in the gut. She opened her eyes and turned back to the wall where she could hear Duke. If Duke was calling for her, something must have happened to Nathan. Her heart felt like it had dropped to her stomach, and her blood ran cold.

She knew exactly how her body felt when Nathan was ripped away from her, and her body was feeling terrifyingly close to that exact feeling. This was real. This wasn't something the Barn was creating for her.

Audrey threw herself against the wall where Duke's voice was coming. "Duke! Duke! I'm here!" She frantically clawed at the wall, and her fingers snagged in a crevice she hadn't seen before. Pain rushed up her arm, but she didn't feel it. She pulled with all her strength, and a wall of water hit her like a brick wall.

* * *

><p>"Duke? Duke! Is that you? Duke!"<p>

Hearing Audrey's voice come through the Barn door ripped at Duke's heart more than watching her leave had. She was in there!

Duke slammed his body against the Barn, and bounced off. The Barn door didn't even budge. How was he going to get her out of there?

"Audrey! Audrey! How do I get you out? You need to come out!"

The rain would not stop, and Duke had given up all hope of ever being dry again, but he wasn't even thinking about that now. The singular thought in his head was he needed to get Audrey out of that Barn, and now. He grabbed onto the handle that he saw Audrey pull on to get the door open originally, and leaned back with his full weight, and nothing happened. His fingers slipped, and he crashed to the ground. His wet hair stuck to his face, and his fingers sunk deep into the muddy ground. "Dammit."

"Audrey!" He listened for her reply, but heard nothing. Was she still there? Or had the Barn taken her now? But if it had, wouldn't it leave too? Or were the Guard right? Did it always just stay there? Why wasn't she answering? He had just heard her voice a few minutes ago, hadn't he? Or was it his imagination?

Duke wasn't sure what to do. How was he going to get the Barn door open? And even if he did, would she be in there? She had to be in there. If she wasn't, he wasn't sure how he would continue on. Hell, how Nathan would continue on. He knew the town would forget her soon. Just like they always did. Sure, in 27 years, some would recognize her, but they would act as though they were meeting her for the first time. Would he be able to do that? Or would he grab her by the shoulders and shake her until she remembered?

"Duke! Duke! I'm here!"

Duke scrambled to his knees when he heard Audrey's voice. He _knew _it. That had been her voice he had heard the first time. What was going on? Why was she still here? Why was he questioning this? Audrey was still here!

As he moved to get up, he heard a loud creaking noise, and the impenetrable door in front of him began to open. And then there, standing in front of him, already soaked from the pounding rain, was Audrey Parker.


	7. Where to go From Here

**Disclaimer:** Totally don't own these characters, or this world. I just like to be a part of it.

**Author's Notes:** Heads up – time shift again.

There is going to be definite shifting between the future (where this story ultimately takes place) and the now. I'll call it out each chapter in the A/N, but please let me know in the comments if you think there's a better way for me to do it.

Thanks as always to my beta, who is more than willing to read SEVERAL versions of this to make sure it's right.

Here's the promised Tuesday update!

* * *

><p><span><strong>Where to go From Here<strong>

Duke looked up, and standing in front of him, was Audrey Wuornos. And she looked like hell. He pushed himself out of his chair, and was about to speak when Audrey put her fingers to her lips. She leaned around him and closed the door to Juliet's room.

Once she carefully closed it so that it barely made a click, she looked up at Duke, and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you."

Duke wrapped his arms around the small woman, and instantly felt a little better. "How is she?"

Audrey pulled back and started pacing in the small hallway. "She's resting. Nathan was able to speak to the doctor on the phone before he made it to the hospital, and the doctor said he was going to keep her asleep until at least tomorrow so she could gain some of her strength back."

"How is he?" Duke's eyes flicked to the window of Juliet's room, through which he could see Nathan sleeping on a bed next to Juliet.

Audrey wrapped her arms around herself and looked through the same window, letting her eyes rest on her family. "He's a mess. Not only with what happened to Juliet, but – Duke, he can't feel anything anymore. His Trouble is back. Hearing about Juliet must have triggered it. Thankfully he's sleeping now. I'm not sure for how long, but hopefully he can at least get a couple of hours in."

Duke rested his hands on Audrey's shoulders, and leaned his face down so that he was closer to eye level with her. "You should get a few hours in yourself. You won't be any good to anyone if you're bordering on exhaustion."

Audrey looked at her friend and sighed as she broke eye contact to stare at the floor. "I know." She looked back up with tears in her eyes. "What's going on Duke? Why are the Troubles back? What does this mean? Do you think…" Audrey's eyes flicked to her family, and then back to Duke, and her voice came out as a whisper. "Do you think the Barn is back and will take me away for good this time?"

Duke looked her dead in the eye. "Audrey. We stopped you from going in the Barn once. If it is back for you, we'll stop it again."

Audrey dropped her forehead on Duke's chest, feeling his arms come around her. "I'm scared Duke."

Duke sighed, only being able to imagine what she must have been thinking and feeling in that moment. Here she was, ten years after her last nightmare had ended, conceivably right back where she started. Only this time, she had a decade of history, a lifetime of memories, a family. Not things she could tear herself away from easily for the greater good of the town. Not this time. This time, if this was a time, she would fight tooth and nail, and would expect everyone else to do the same.

The two broke apart as they heard heavy footsteps coming down the hallway towards them. Seeing who it was, Audrey moved to hug the big man. Duke nodded his head towards him. "Sasquatch."

"Audrey, how are you?"

Audrey pulled back and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm fine. It's just a little overwhelming, that's all."

"What can I do?"

Audrey smiled as she looked back and forth between Duke and Dwight. Those two, along with Nathan, had been there for her through anything and everything - supernatural barns, broken down cars, last minute babysitters- everything. Her boys. Always there to help, no matter what. "We need to figure out what's going on. Have you heard anything?"

Dwight shook his head. "So far, the only Trouble that seems to have been activated is Juliet's."

Glancing into Juliet's room, Audrey shook her head. "Nathan's too."

Dwight's eyes flicked to Juliet's room, and then back to Audrey. "I'm so sorry Audrey."

Audrey narrowed her eyes in concentration. "We need to figure out what's going on. Why is this happening? And is it only affecting certain people? Or should we be gearing up for a whole new wave of Troubles?" Audrey began pacing the hallway. Her nerves were frayed, and her eyes felt like sandpaper, but she felt like she was going to jump out of her skin. Much faster than she expected, the air of domesticity she had developed over the years, was crumbling away, exposing her headstrong Audrey Parker persona. She had never let that fully disappear, but ten years of normalcy, and motherhood in general, tended to change a person. "Ok, let's think about this logically. The Troubles only begin again when it's time for me to come back from the Barn. After all our research over the years, we've determined that I've come back at least 20 times, stay for only the time period before The Hunter arrives, and then once I've gone into the Barn, the Troubles go away. They stay away for close to 27 years, and then return when I come back. This last time however, even though I went in the Barn, I didn't go away, but the Troubles did. Slowly, but they did. Which was different than usual, because normally they go away all at once. We assumed that they trickled away because the cycle had been broken since I was still here. But here we are, 10 years later, and now they're coming back. Again, not all at once, but slowly."

"Yeah, but Audrey, the Troubles always come back slowly. They're always triggered by something."

Audrey looked to Duke and nodded. "You're right. Ok, so that part hasn't changed. But the Barn did eventually disappear, which, we need to really consider now." At that moment, she noticed the blood on Duke's hands, and stood up straight. "Is that…"

Duke glanced down to where Audrey was looking and remembered he still hadn't washed off Juliet's blood. He put his hands behind his back so that they were out of her sightline, and looked at her. "Audrey, I'm sorry, I forgot and haven't had a chance…"

Audrey shook her head. "No, it's ok. But, if it's still on your hands, that means your Trouble hasn't activated. And since they're normally triggered by an emotional event, you would think that today…I need to get to the station. I need to see if any other Troubles are activating. Surely by now if the Troubles are back, someone should have accidentally triggered something somewhere."

Audrey started to move towards the door to grab her coat and keys so that she could head out to start investigating, but a hand on her arm stopped her and pulled her back. She looked at Duke with frustration and questioning in her eyes.

"Audrey, you can't leave now. You can't be Audrey Parker. You need to be Audrey Wuornos. At least for tonight. You can fully switch back into Audrey Parker mode tomorrow."

Audrey sighed. She knew Duke was right, but it was so much easier to dive into a problem she had some sense of control over, rather than deal with the frightening reality that was behind the closed door in front of her.

"You're right. But we still need to figure things out." Audrey paused as she looked over at Nathan sleeping beside their daughter. She knew deep down she needed to be in there with them, no matter how much she wanted to fix things.

"Ok, new plan. Duke, you head out to where the Barn usually drops in and see if it's back. I definitely haven't called it, so I would assume it's not there, but since the Troubles are back, I want to confirm my assumption. Dwight, you go to the police station and get a feel for what's going on. See if any reports of Troubles activating have come in, and if so, who they are. We need to tag team on this, and leave Nathan out of this as much as possible. He's not good with problems he can't solve, and I already know he's racked with guilt about Juliet. He won't be able to focus, and will only slow us down. We'll let him just focus on her so I can help you two."

"Audrey, you know that won't work. Nathan isn't going to sit idly by with Juliet while you go off fighting. He's going to want to be by your side."

Audrey looked at Duke, hating his words, but knowing he was right. "I can handle Nathan, but I need you two to help me."

Dwight and Duke looked at each other. They knew each one would normally jump at Audrey's request, but someone had to tell her. Dwight lost the stare down, and looked to Audrey.

"Audrey, we'll get on this as soon as we can, but it's 3 in the morning. We won't be able to get anything done until after the sunrise at least. Why don't you go in and get some sleep, and we'll regroup in the morning. We'll call you as soon as we find anything."

Audrey had lost all sense of time, and didn't even realize it was so late. And as much as she wanted everyone to start doing everything now, she knew they had a point. Duke wouldn't even be able to see his way in the dark to the Barn, and with the Troubles gone, the police station was pretty much a ghost town during the hours of 9pm and 6am. Not too much happened in small town Haven during the night. But still, she sighed in defeat. "Fine, you're right. Go home, get some sleep. You know where you can find me."

Duke and Dwight each gave her a quick hug, and walked out together, leaving Audrey standing alone in the dimly lit hallway looking in on the most important people in her life.


	8. Chaos

**Disclaimer:** Totally don't own these characters, or this world. I just like to be a part of it.

**Author's Notes:** Heads up – time shift again.

There is going to be definite shifting between the future (where this story ultimately takes place) and the now. I'll call it out each chapter in the A/N, but please let me know in the comments if you think there's a better way for me to do it.

Thanks as always to my beta, who is more than willing to read SEVERAL versions of this to make sure it's right.

Here's the promised Tuesday update!

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chaos<strong>

Nathan couldn't help the strangled cries coming from his lips. In the back of his mind he knew it wasn't manly, but fire ripped through his body. He had never felt pain like this. Dimly the thought floated through his head that since he could feel, the Troubles were gone. _Audrey._

And with that, Nathan slipped into unconsciousness again.

Not too much rattled Dwight, but hearing Nathan's screams of pain had him shaken up. In all the time he had worked with Nathan, Nathan always maintained a stoic persona. Nothing fazed him. He could be shot at, and would keep moving until the job was done, and only then seek out medical assistance. And even then, he did it because it was required, not because he needed relief. And so now, sitting in the back of the ambulance, and again, running down the halls of the hospital beside his friend, the screams of anguish were shaking Dwight to his core. The only relief came when Nathan slipped into unconsciousness, but even that disappeared when the pain forced Nathan back awake and his screams started anew. Medical personnel stood in front of Dwight, blocking his way to the operating room with Nathan, and Dwight had to turn away. He slumped into the tiny vinyl chair that was next to the room, and scrubbed his face with his hands. Exhaustion was threatening to take over. This day had been non-stop since he woke up – not only physically, but emotionally as well.

The sounds of medical chatter and instruments assaulted his ears, and he had to get up to pace. The person that needed to be here right now would never be here. Well, not for another 27 years. Dwight knew though that if anyone was going to get Nathan through this, it would be Audrey. But she couldn't. She was gone, which is why the Troubles were gone. Because of her, Nathan could feel everything that was happening right now, which was both a blessing and a curse.

Dwight looked into the operating room and could see that they had finally been able to knock Nathan out, and while he still didn't look good, at least he didn't look like he was in pain anymore. With that knowledge, Dwight sat back down in the small chair, and stayed at his post until the operation was complete, and he was able to confirm that his friend was still alive as they wheeled him to a room that was sure to be his home for the next couple of weeks.

* * *

><p>Duke looked up at her and couldn't believe it. There she was. Nothing had happened. She was here! He could see her scanning the field, squinting her eyes through the rain, as she finally settled on him. Duke searched her face for the smile she always gave him. The one he so desperately needed right now, but it wasn't there. Even as she moved towards him to give a brief hug, her face only held a look of concern.<p>

"Where's Nathan?"

Duke's heart sank. He should have known that Nathan would have been her singular concern – above her gratitude for still being here and seeing him - but deep down wanted her to be so happy to see him that her hug was more of joy than of relief. He needed that genuine human contact right now. He had never felt so low in his life, but that contact wouldn't happen, and he had to accept that. He had to be the good friend he was, and had to support her in this moment, because he knew that she was going to need him right now, and he sent up a silent prayer that Dwight had gotten Nathan to the hospital in time, because if not, Audrey would not stay in Haven. No, she would welcome the Barn, and would run to it, and never look back. And Duke couldn't let that happen.

"Audrey, come on. He's been hurt."

Audrey's heart seized in her chest. Her intuition had been right. Something bad had happened. She ran towards Duke, eyes searching, demanding. Dread and horror radiating from them. "What happened?"

Duke sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. "He was shot. It's bad Audrey. Dwight rushed him to the hospital."

The fist that had been clutching her heart squeezed even harder, and Audrey was finding it difficult to breathe. If it wasn't raining so hard, she was positive she would feel tears leaking from her eyes. Her voice came out small and weak, but she wasn't ashamed of it. "Take me to him."

For some reason Duke hesitated, and saw agitation flash through Audrey's eyes. She grabbed his hand and starting pulling him across the field. Nothing was stopping her from getting to Nathan. Duke looked down at their joined hands as they ran, and once again, that pang of jealousy and regret sliced through his body. But he knew that anything he felt towards Audrey was not reciprocated in any way. She only saw Nathan, and Nathan was her life. She had the same singular focus to do anything to save Nathan as she had only a few short days ago. It dawned on him that she must have been dreading what she would come upon because of that very event. She had lost the love of her life such a short time ago, and her pigheadedness had somehow saved the day, but there was no woman with the Trouble to bring him back this time. There was no supernatural affliction that could turn back time, or could change timelines. There was only a hospital, and she needed to be there.

Duke surged ahead of her, and pulled her towards the docks. Thankfully there were still a couple of boats there – someone was going to be pissed their boat was gone, but he didn't care. The engine roared to life and they were off.

* * *

><p>Audrey felt sick, and the choppy waters were not helping. She closed her eyes, but that only made it worse, and she leaned over the side to retch.<p>

This had been the longest, most emotional day of her life, and she wasn't sure how much longer she was going to last. She felt numb. Nothing was in her control, and she felt ready to break. She had had to say goodbye to all of her loved ones. Had had to resign herself to leaving everyone behind, and go into a barn which surely meant her death. Then suddenly the door was opened. She wasn't gone. She was still here, but it only got so much worse. The door opened to the news of her true love being rushed to the hospital, and Duke wasn't sure Nathan was going to survive. He had to survive. If Nathan wasn't here, she didn't want to be either. Sure, she had friends (surprisingly), and had made a home here - a place where she was comfortable. She had a great job, doing what she wanted to do, and as confusing as her life was, it made sense to her. But none of that mattered without Nathan. None of that was worth it without him. And she decided in that very moment that if Nathan wasn't by her side, she would not stay in Haven. She would welcome the embrace of the Barn. She would revel in it. Because it would make her forget. It would save her from her own destruction.

* * *

><p>She was soaked to the bone, but she didn't care. The heaters in Duke's jeep had done nothing to break the chill. She knew the only thing that would, would be the heat from Nathan's skin. She wanted nothing more than to be sitting next to him in front of a roaring fire, bundled together under a blanket, drinking hot chocolate, and just being content to be with each other. Nothing, and no one around them. Just them.<p>

Audrey burst through the hospital doors and was assaulted by chaos around her. Members of the Guard were staunching bullets wounds, people were holding various limbs that had been injured from falling meteors, small children were crying, people were yelling at the nurses at the desk, but nothing could get in her way. She turned to Duke, tears staining her cheeks. "Where is he?"

Duke was at a loss. He had no idea where Nathan would be, so he shoved his way to the front of the line, and stared down the poor nurse at the desk. "Where is Nathan Wuornos? We need to see him now." He must have looked like a wild man, because the nurse inched away from him.

"Um, sir, I'm not sure. But, even if I did know where he was, you would have to be family to get back to see any patient right now. As you can see, we're really busy. You can take a seat, and I'll have someone come get you." Duke felt someone bump his arm, and he was about to turn and punch whoever felt they were more important than his task right now, but stopped when she started talking.

"I am Detective Audrey Parker with the Haven PD. You need to let me see Chief Nathan Wuornos NOW." The authority in her voice betrayed how she was actually feeling at the moment, but no one was going to stop her from being with Nathan. Especially not some hot shot nurse on a power trip.

"Duke!" Audrey looked up at Dwight's voice, but couldn't see anything over the crush of people. She cursed her short stature in that moment.

Duke turned at the sound of his name and saw Dwight waving him over to the back hallway. Duke grabbed Audrey's arm, and guided her through the mass of humanity that was threatening to crush the desk in front of them. As they broke through the crowd, Duke could see Dwight's eyes widen at the sight of Audrey, but other than that, you'd never know looking at his face that her being there was anything out of the ordinary.

"He's down here." Dwight gestured towards the end of the hall. "He just got out of surgery, and is still unconscious. They have him in ICU."

Audrey ran ahead of the two boys, her heart propelling her in the right direction. As Dwight and Duke followed behind her, Dwight leaned into Duke. "What happened? Why is she here?"

Duke shook his head. "I'm not sure, but something is wrong. As happy as I am that she's here, she shouldn't be."

"But the Troubles are gone. So, something happened."

Duke stopped short in the hallway, and out of the corner of his eye could see Audrey still rushing towards Nathan. "Excuse me? What are you talking about? The Troubles haven't stopped. Mine was active just a couple of hours ago when I was keeping Nathan from bleeding out." Duke tapped a finger on the bullet holes in Dwight's safety vest. "And if you didn't notice, it looks like yours is still active as well."

Dwight sighed and looked down the hall to see Audrey duck into a room. "They're gone Duke. Nathan was unconscious by the time I got him in the ambulance, but he woke up as they were working on him, and was in and out of consciousness when we got here before they knocked him out to perform surgery. He was screaming in pain the whole time he was awake."

Duke took a step back and felt his heart skip a beat. "What? Are you sure?"

Dwight shook his head. "Duke, I've never heard someone be in that much pain before. Nathan could feel absolutely everything. The Troubles are gone. Audrey did it."

Duke looked down the now empty hall towards where Audrey had been. What did this mean?

* * *

><p>Audrey screeched to a halt in front of Nathan's room, and took a deep breath. She looked in, and he looked so fragile in the bed. Her heart was in her stomach, and if she hadn't thrown up everything in her system already off the side of the boat, she definitely would have thrown up here. Instead, her throat burned, and a steady stream of tears rolled down her cheeks. She walked in, and the steady beep of the heart monitor managed to slightly ease the firm grip of the fist that had been squeezing her heart from the moment she heard Duke's voice. Audrey pushed a lock of Nathan's hair from his forehead, and leaned down to kiss his lips. He felt like he was on fire, which must have meant he was running a fever from the surgery. She threaded her fingers through his hand, and squeezed tight. Just the feeling of his skin on hers was easing her tension. They weren't out of the woods yet, but they were nearing the edge.<p>

Audrey scanned the room, and saw a chair up against the wall by the door. She reluctantly let go of Nathan's hand to go retrieve the chair, and pulled it right next to the bed. She reached for his hand again, and once again, threaded her fingers through his, and looked at his face as she traced his cheek with her free hand. "I'm here Nathan. It's me, Parker. You need to pull through this, ok? Because I can't survive without you. I love you."

Her severe exhaustion caught up with her, and Audrey put her arm on Nathan's bed, and laid her head on top of it. Sleep quickly overtook her, and she dreamed of a cabin in the woods with a roaring fire, and her and Nathan dancing to the tunes of an old song playing on the radio.


	9. Stuck Between Two Audreys

**Disclaimer:** Totally don't own these characters, or this world. I just like to be a part of it.

**Author's Notes:** Heads up – time shift again.

Thanks as always to my beta, who is more than willing to read SEVERAL versions of this to make sure it's right.

Here's the promised Tuesday update!

* * *

><p><strong>Stuck between two Audreys<strong>

Audrey watched her friends walk away down the hallway, and she suddenly felt incredibly alone. It was like she was stuck in the middle of being Audrey Parker, and Audrey Wuornos. Walking away from her was Audrey Parker's team - the people she wanted to join with to help solve what's going on right now, but they left her to be with the family she created as Audrey Wuornos - her loves, who suddenly had a unique bond she would never share, and now embodied the very fear she hoped she had left behind for good almost a decade ago.

As Audrey stood there, alone in her thoughts, she realized Audrey Wuornos was slightly beating out Audrey Parker in who needed to be present in that moment, so Audrey took one last look down the empty hallway before slipping into Juliet's room.

The fear that she had admitted to Duke began to overtake her as she looked over her sleeping family from her place just inside the doorway. If the Troubles were back, did that mean her time in Haven was coming to an end? Whenever thoughts of the Troubles emerged, the persona of Audrey Parker always seemed to gain an advantage.

Why now? Even if the next round was inevitably coming, she should have had at least another 17 years before it hit. It was too soon now. When was the next Hunter supposed to arrive? Audrey pulled out her phone and did a quick search, her heart sinking with the realization it was only 6 months away. Such a similar timeline to her first go-around in Haven. Audrey could definitely feel her Audrey Parker persona hitting her stride.

She started to pace the small room – her mind flying through possibilities. What could be causing this? She really needed to see if the Barn was there. That was pretty much step one. If it was, that would allow them to go in one direction. If it wasn't, there was a whole different direction they needed to go in. But then again, was the Barn there when she showed up in Haven? Her bet would strongly be on no. In which case, what should they be looking for? A stranger to suddenly show up in town? Would it be someone who looked like her? Would she have a clone walking around? That would be weird. Even for Haven. But if it was anyone else, how would they know that was the person they needed to be looking for? And why would that person be there to solve the Troubles? Who else would be forced that fate?

James.

The revelation hit her like a ton of bricks, and she pulled up from her pacing. He was the only other person than her in the Barn. Duke had told her months later that Arla had died sitting by the Barn, and the Guard had buried her just outside of town. Audrey had gone to visit the grave once. Just to confirm that Arla was out of her life, and also, because a piece of her knew that at some point, Arla had been the love of her son's life, and she had to accept that.

That had to be it, right? For centuries, it had always been a form of Audrey that was forced to go through cycle after cycle of the Troubles. So, it would make sense that if the Troubles continued on a cycle, it would have to be a piece of her that would continue that, and James was certainly a piece of her. And of Nathan too. Audrey glanced over at Nathan who was stretched out on a cot the hospital staff put in the far side of the room between Juliet's bed and the window, and sighed. Everyone she touched was hurt somehow.

But it kind of made sense. James had been missing since the Barn disappeared, so it was assumed he disappeared with the Barn, and since James was only part of her, the cycle could conceivably be shorter. That was a string they had pulled on many years ago as to why she was able to stay, but really had no way of proving anything. James was gone, the Barn was gone, the Troubles were gone, and since she was still there, Vince and Dave were just as clueless as the rest of them as to what was going on, so they had had to let the string drop. But maybe they had been on to something.

She pulled out her phone to start dialing the station to put out an APB on anyone that looked like James. If it was him, he would be making his way to Haven fairly soon. Probably with no memory of being James, but it would still be him. Then what would she do? After leaving a message with the night officer, who swore he would get the first detective who walked in that morning on the case, Audrey quickly logged into her computer remotely, and set up an alert for anyone fitting the description of James being arrested within a 100 mile radius of Haven. She half-heartedly scanned through a couple of recent arrest reports from Derry, but in her heart, she knew he wouldn't be in there. It was too soon. The Troubles always seemed to start a few months before she made her way to Haven, so at the earliest, they wouldn't be hearing or seeing James for at least another 6 weeks or so.

Audrey shook her head. Her life had been so simple these past years. She had been able to date (date!) a man she truly cared for, while carving out a life of a small town cop. She had been asked to move in with said man, and eventually married him. When he had ended up being on the road more than at home, Nathan had bought Audrey Peanut to keep her company, and then soon after, Juliet made her appearance, allowing Audrey to settle into the role of mom, which, admittedly had been scarier than going into the Barn, but, she had managed, and had done a pretty good job of it all so far.

Before long, Audrey could feel her thoughts starting to meld together, and as she looked at Juliet lying on her bed, sleeping peacefully, and all energy drained from her body. Sun was starting to peak through the clouds outside the windows, and she knew she needed to rest at least for a little while. Who knew when she would have another opportunity. As a mother, she knew that Juliet always slept better snuggled into Audrey whenever she was sick or injured, so carefully, Audrey climbed onto Juliet's bed, and was just starting to fall asleep when she felt a warm hand on her arm. Opening her eyes, she looked up to see her husband's grey-blue sleep filled eyes looking down on her.

"Come on Audrey."

At the sounds of Nathan's voice, Audrey could feel her Audrey Wuornos persona break free.

Nathan tugged at her hand, and Audrey obligingly climbed off of Juliet's bed, and instead snuggled in beside Nathan on the small cot. Deep down Audrey knew that Nathan needed to feel something in this moment, and so left her little girl. Normally she would have stayed with Juliet, but also knew that the drugs being dripped into her little body were keeping her locked away from the world for the moment. Nathan however, was very aware of his surroundings, and his now lack of feeling them.

He wrapped his body around hers, and with his warmth cocooning her, she slipped into a dreamless sleep. James and the Troubles were just going to have to wait a few hours more. Audrey Parker was also going to have to wait to fully spring to life, because Audrey Wuornos was exactly where she needed to be at the moment – in the arms of the man she loved, next to the wonderful creature they had somehow managed to create together.

Audrey Wuornos had the life she did because of Audrey Parker, so by becoming a unit, they together would defeat this extraordinary challenge.


	10. Awake

**Disclaimer:** Totally don't own these characters, or this world. I just like to be a part of it.

**Author's Notes:** Heads up – time shift again.

Thanks as always to my beta, who is more than willing to read SEVERAL versions of this to make sure it's right.

Here's the promised Tuesday update!

* * *

><p><span><strong>Awake<strong>

His mouth felt dry. But that couldn't be right. He could never tell if his mouth was dry or not. He also had a dull ache spreading across his chest and into his abdomen. But again, that couldn't be right. Was he just imagining things? Most curiously though, he could feel a hand held tight within his own. That he could _definitely _feel. But how could that happen? He could only feel one person's hand. He had to be dreaming, but the name slipped from his lips, regardless. "Parker." His voice sounded strangled, like it hadn't been used in a few days, which made him briefly think this wasn't a dream. But it had to be, because he could only feel one person, and that person was gone, and that's why he could hear despair in his voice too. Utter, complete despair. Her leaving must have worked. The Troubles were gone. That's why he could feel this person's hand in his own. He didn't care who it was. No one mattered except for her.

"Nathan."

Nathan's eyes flew open at the sound of his name. The breathy voice sounded like it came from her. It couldn't have though. She was gone, and that's why he could feel the hand of whoever was sitting beside him, and that's why his mouth felt like the Sahara, and why his chest felt like it was on fire. But, maybe he _was _dreaming, and that's why he could feel everything. He almost didn't want to turn his head, because if it was just a dream, he at least wanted this dream to last as long as possible. At least she would still be with him in his dreams.

But then, a face came into his field of vision, and he felt his heart tighten in hope that this wasn't a dream, that this was in fact real - because that face belonged to his one true love. But it couldn't be her. She had gone into the Barn, she was gone. She couldn't be here. He must be dreaming.

And then he felt her hands on his cheeks, and watched her as she leaned down towards him. Her lips touched his, and sensations flared. It was her. He sighed in contentment, his eyes drifting closed, not even caring if this was a dream, and smiled as he felt her forehead lean against his own. "Parker." It had to be a dream, because she was gone. He knew she was gone.

He reached up to pull her down to him, and pain exploded throughout his body. This was not a dream. This pain was very real. His eyes flew open as he gasped in pain and the unexpectedness of it, and then flashes of memory struck him like a lightning bolt. He remembered fighting Duke as Audrey stepped into the Barn. He remembered pulling a gun on Agent Howard. He remembered falling to his knees, and looking down to see blood seeping through his shirt. He remembered hearing gunshots come from right above him as Duke shot at whoever had shot him. He remembered trying to get to Audrey, and Duke shoving him into the ground. He remembered waking up in the ambulance, screaming in pain as an EMT explored one of his bullet wounds. The Troubles were gone. Audrey was gone.

But she wasn't gone. She was here.

Nathan ignored the pain as he desperately reached out to her. He could feel tears streaming down his cheeks. He could _feel _them. He was clutching for her, desperate to have her in his arms. He didn't care what had happened. All he knew in that moment was that the Troubles seemed to be gone, and Audrey was here with him. "Parker! Audrey."

Nathan's eyes were wild, and Audrey was terrified he was going to rip out his IV with the way he was reaching for her. She quickly glanced towards the door, hoping to flag down a nurse or a doctor, but saw no one. Nathan was in shock, and she instinctively knew he needed to feel her. She leaned down into him as best she could from her awkward position beside his bed. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and held on tight, being careful to not press against his chest, which was still riddled with bullet holes. Troubles or not, he'd be able to feel it if she leaned against him.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck and sobbed, and she held him close as she breathed in his scent. He needed to feel her. To know she was real, and she needed to feel him, to know he was alive. "Nathan, it's me. It's really me. I'm here. I'm safe. I'm not leaving you. I'm here." She only hoped that her words would comfort him and make him believe that she was really here.

They were going to make it through this. They were going to do it together. As a team.


End file.
